VIA Rail On-board Entertainment Brings CBC Video To Passengers

The Huffington Post Canada

Via Rail passengers looking for an entertainment system closer to those found on planes will soon get their wish. The company announced today that train-goers will be able to stream video and television shows using the train's free WI-FI network starting this spring.

But before riders get excited about the prospect of watching movies still in theatres or hours on end of American sitcoms, there are some limits. Passengers will only be able to stream programming from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, movies from the National Film Board of Canada and shorts like the Heritage Minutes from the Historica-Dominion Institute through their laptops, tablets and smartphones.

"Over the past two years, VIA Rail passengers have become accustomed to world-class Wi-Fi on our trains. Today, we are pleased to extend our Wi-Fi offer with entertainment and information produced by Canadians, for Canadians," said Marc Laliberté, Via Rail's president and CEO in a press release.

Despite the limitations, the entertainment system is an upgrade to Via's WI-FI network. Ever prior to the company's announcement, passengers were unable to stream content from Netflix or YouTube due to bandwidth issues. And according to Via Rail spokesperson, Jacques Gagnon, full-video service won't be coming any time soon.